Charles b



Nrrnn STATES ATENT einen.

CHARLES B. PROOTOR, OF MILO, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO E. L.

MORGAN AND HENRY HINRIOHS, OF SAME PLACE. I

FOLDING oHlcKENv-ooop.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 527,807, dated october 23, 1894.

Application inea May 1,1894. serial No. 509,730. (No man.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern.:

Beit known that I, CHARLES B. PRoo'roR, a citizen of ythe United States of America, residing at Milo, in the county of Warren and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Folding Chicken-Coop, of which the'fol- I lowing is a specification.

' My object is to facilitate the handling, storing and shipping of poultry, and other small animals, and my invention consists in a port-` able coop formed of hinged rigid sections and flexible ends, as hereinafter setforth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section showing pivoted braces that fold inward with the side hinged to the bottom. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the coop in position as required for inclosing poultry therein. Fig. 4 is an end view of the coop when foldedinto a small space, as required for storing or shipping economically when empty.

The letter A designates a rigid oblong flat bottom that may vary in size as desired.

B, B2 and B3 are cleats xed on top of the bottom A.

C, C2 and O3 vare posts hinged to the cleats on the bottom A in such a manner that they can be folded inward and toward each other from the parallel edges of the bottom as shown in Fig. 4.

1, 2, 3, 4, represent wooden slats fixed against the outside faces of the posts C, C2 and'C.

D and D2 are counterpart braces pivoted at their lower ends to the central cleat B2 and at their upper ends respectively to the top portions of the posts C and C3 as shown in Fig. 1 in such a manner that they will support the posts in an upright position and also allow them to be folded as shown in Fig. 4.

5, 6, 7, 8, represent flexible wires fixed to the end portions of the parallel folding sides of the coop, and H and H2 are flexible ends, preferably a woven fabric, xed to the posts O and O3 at the ends of the parallel hinged and folding sides of the coop in such a manner that the flexible ends will be doubled together, when the coop is folded, as shown in Fig. 4, and stretched and extended across the ends of the coop as shown in Fig. 3 and as required for practical use.

J and J2 are short straight bars or cross pieces hinged to the tops of the corner posts C and Ca in such a manner that they will corne togetherat their inner ends and serve as braces to keep the posts upright when the cross pieces are in horizontal position as shown in Fig. 2.

9 and 10 are slats fixed across the tops and ends of the cross pieces, J and J 2, hinged to the outside faces at the tops of the posts C and C3 as shown in Fig. 2. Additional slats are fixed tol the cross pieces J and J 2 as required, to produce complete mating hinged parts that will fold as required to close the top of the coop as shown in Fig. 1 and to overlie each other when the coop is folded as shown in Fig.. 4.

L represents a spring catch fixed to-the bottom A in such a manner that it will lautomatically engage a portion of the jointed top of the coop when folded as shown in Fig. 4, and as required to hold the parts together when folded together to economize space in storing and shipping when empty.

M represents a bar pivoted to the under side of the-jointed top of the coop to aid in maintaining the coop rigid when in position as shown in Fig. 3 and as required in practical use. When not in use the barM is folded into parallel position with the slats 9 and 10.

It is Obvious that a exible partition can be attached to the center posts O2 as required to divide the coop into two parts. It is also obvious that the jointed top can be readily bowed upward as required Vt0 produce openings at the ends of the coop through which chickens can be readily passed incr taken out.

I claim as my invention-- 1. In a folding chicken coop andthe like,

a lat rigid bottom having cleats fixed across its top, posts hinged to theends of said cleats to fold' inward, slats fixed to the posts to form sides and braces pivoted at their lower ends to the central fixed cross piece in the bottom IOO flexible end with a rigid fiat bottom and par'- allel sides hinged to the ends of cleats fixed on the bottom and a jointed cover hinged to the top edges of the parallel sides to operate in the manner set forth for the purposes stated.

43. A folding chicken coop comprising a rigid flat bottom having cleats fixed across its top and posts hinged to the ends of said Cleats to fold inwardly, slats fixed to the posts to produce folding side sections, a top or cover composed of two mating parts hinged to the tops of the posts that are hinged to the cleats xed upon the rigid bottom, iiexible ends fixed to the ends of the inwardly folding hinged sides, arranged and combined to operate in the manner set forth for the purposes CHARLES B. PROCTOR.

stated.

Witnesses:

Gno. W. BURGnss, ETTA BURG-Ess. 

